Kyle is a typical American guy and he is a member of the United States Air Force. He has two sisters that live in New York, he has a mother and father living in Pennsylvania and he has close friends scattered across the country. He loves football and ice hockey -- he was a member of the ice hockey team for VMI (Virginia Military Institute) -- he goes to the movies, he grills burgers and steaks and he loves Budweiser. He is a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Air Force and primarily works on Combat Search and Rescue missions.
Like many servicemen and women of the U.S. Military, Kyle doesn't love the spotlight. This time period in our country is a tricky one and I try to keep a very open mind, and Kyle does too. Everyone has their own opinion these days and luckily, in the United States, you are entitled to that opinion. Regardless of your political views, I wanted to share a few photos of Kyle and a few details about his work. It is because of him, and all other people in the U.S. Military and other activists, that we have our freedom and our rights today. Please take a moment to say a blessing, cross your fingers, look up to God, hold your breath, or whatever your good luck technique may be, and be grateful for the people defending the United States of America.
Kyle is humble, he is prideful, and he believes in his work and all those that work with him. We discussed his portrait and decided to do something rather impromptu this weekend. I used window light and had him wear a uniform of his choosing. Here he is wearing his flight suit that is considered casual attire for training and flying days at home. It is his favorite uniform and he proudly attaches his Velcro patches to the chest and arms of the suit daily. This may be my favorite shot, with him looking outside. It can be hard to photograph those you're close with because you have a bias perspective of their personality and how they appear in an image. But, I'm pretty happy with this shot and I hope Kyle is too.
Again, part of our portrait session, with Kyle looking at the camera this time with a slight smile. He loves being a pilot and he loves serving his country, so he's a happy guy. My original idea for his portrait was with extra lights, but I think the window lighting is effective in both of these photographs and reminds me that strong portraits can be made with simple settings. The flag and his hat marking his rank add to the environmental aspect of the shot and add information for the viewer without making things too complex in the image.
While we were shooting the portraits, I was continuously drawn to the patches on Kyle's uniform. I did this photo as a detail shot with just the patches and his zipper leading to his identity metal tags. Perhaps it would be nice to see more of the name tags, but I find this shot to have a nice composition and it feels natural.
Kyle has a large collection of patches. He will often point them out when there's one laying about, and I've only been able to compare them to my Brownie patches when in the Girl Scouts as a little girl. These patches, however, hold a lot of symbolism, happiness and pride for U.S. Soldiers and I thought this large pile was deserving of a photograph. Kyle has barely begun his service for the U.S. Military and he has a countless number of patches. Here you see many important patches, including the "Jolly Green Giants", designating Kyle's 41st Squadron, his graduation patches from Fort Rucker in 2008, his wings achieved in 2008, and a joke patch made by a friend for being able to hover as a "Helo" pilot.
The military holds very serious jobs and they take pride in that, but thank God they do have the opportunity to laugh and have fun with patches, over the radio and with each other every day. We all know humor is a huge help and can get us through a lot of tough days. These guys are the same. They are your neighbors. They are your friends. They may be your family. And they are fighting for you. Please think of them as often as you can and support their fight as much as I do.
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